Hi everyone and thanks for your attendance tonight. Here is the Powerpoint that I went through, which has lots of practical advice for successful travel in a school group, a run through of our itinerary and some specific things to be aware of about our trip.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Monday, 13 March 2017
Today's Student Meeting: Travelling as a group and some organisational bits and pieces
The major focus of today's meeting was keeping safe. We reviewed the Safety Action Plan that we have prepared for the Tour, which covers the procedures that we will follow to minimise the risks associated with this sort of travel and the actions that we will take if something does go wrong. Staff will be carrying a copy of the Safety Action Plan with them on the Tour. This will also feature in the meeting with parents next week.
Some key points:
- Outside of the accommodation, students will need to be in groups of 4 or more at all times.
- Even bathroom stops are to be made in pairs.
- Copies of important documentation will be carried by staff, although students must always know where their passports and tickets are.
- Punctuality to meeting points is critical and repeated tardiness will be regarded a unacceptable behaviour.
- Cellphones are to be carried at all times and all numbers shared with staff and other group members.
Further information about the Safety Action Plan will be discussed at the Parents and Students Meeting
When: next Tuesday 21st March
Time: 6pm
Venue: SMC Staffroom (entry around the side of WS North building)
Silent Auction and Quiz Night - tomorrow 7pm SMC Cafe
Thanks so much to students, parents, friends and family members who have sold tickets and donated items for the Silent Auction - there is a great range of goods and vouchers up for sale.
Looking forward to the Quiz itself as well - should be great fun and a Quiz experience like no other! Food and non-alcoholic drink will be available for purchase. Anticipating a large crowd and a great night.
A couple of other things:
- Cellphones: please organise for your phones to be ready for International Roaming. Check with your telco if you're not sure whether it is possible. Vodafone seems to be offering the best package at the moment - sadly my provider 2Degrees has not come to the party.
- Currency: Please get your Cash Passports organised and some US dollars. The amount that you will need will vary from person to person, but anticipate that there will be a need to pay for some lunch most days and the odd transport ticket (bus/subway).
- Team Hoodies: Majority vote is for Navy hoodies with white writing. Charli is sourcing some possibilities.
Some key points:
- Outside of the accommodation, students will need to be in groups of 4 or more at all times.
- Even bathroom stops are to be made in pairs.
- Copies of important documentation will be carried by staff, although students must always know where their passports and tickets are.
- Punctuality to meeting points is critical and repeated tardiness will be regarded a unacceptable behaviour.
- Cellphones are to be carried at all times and all numbers shared with staff and other group members.
Further information about the Safety Action Plan will be discussed at the Parents and Students Meeting
When: next Tuesday 21st March
Time: 6pm
Venue: SMC Staffroom (entry around the side of WS North building)
Silent Auction and Quiz Night - tomorrow 7pm SMC Cafe
Thanks so much to students, parents, friends and family members who have sold tickets and donated items for the Silent Auction - there is a great range of goods and vouchers up for sale.
Looking forward to the Quiz itself as well - should be great fun and a Quiz experience like no other! Food and non-alcoholic drink will be available for purchase. Anticipating a large crowd and a great night.
A couple of other things:
- Cellphones: please organise for your phones to be ready for International Roaming. Check with your telco if you're not sure whether it is possible. Vodafone seems to be offering the best package at the moment - sadly my provider 2Degrees has not come to the party.
- Currency: Please get your Cash Passports organised and some US dollars. The amount that you will need will vary from person to person, but anticipate that there will be a need to pay for some lunch most days and the odd transport ticket (bus/subway).
- Team Hoodies: Majority vote is for Navy hoodies with white writing. Charli is sourcing some possibilities.
Thursday, 2 March 2017
Yesterday's Student Meeting: H&S, QN&SA and Hoodies
A quick summary of Thursday's meeting:
Forms
Almost all forms are in now. A quick checklist of what is now overdue:
- Bike Waiver forms for San Fran and DC
- Visas
- Deed of Understanding
Health and Safety
We spent quite a bit of time talking about Health and Safety. It is important that we think and plan for as many possibilities as we can, and that students are aware of how to minimise the risks associated with our travel and how to respond to problems.
In groups, we followed the same framework as the school's Safety Action Planning (SAP) documents, looking at:
- Risks / things that could go wrong
- Causes of those risks and how to minimise them
- What our response should be if/when things go wrong
We will take student ideas from this discussion and compare it to the current draft of our SAP, and bring our findings to the group the next time we meet.
Quiz Night and Silent Auction - Wednesday March 15
Approximate timing: 7-9pm
Cost: $10pp
Teams of 4-6 people
Planning is advancing rapidly for this evening - should be a fun night out!
The Quiz will be designed for many ages and abilities, so all are welcome.
Students have been issued with five tickets each to sell. Money is to be returned to the Humanities Office please.
Silent Auction items are now rolling in. Thank you for your generosity. Please, keep them coming!
Team Hoodies
The suggestion was raised that we should investigate getting some monogrammed t-shirts or hoodies for the Tour. This has worked quite well in the past. Charli Francis and Jess Mills have volunteered to investigate this. Here's a shot of most of 2015's group in their hoodies.
Forms
Almost all forms are in now. A quick checklist of what is now overdue:
- Bike Waiver forms for San Fran and DC
- Visas
- Deed of Understanding
Health and Safety
We spent quite a bit of time talking about Health and Safety. It is important that we think and plan for as many possibilities as we can, and that students are aware of how to minimise the risks associated with our travel and how to respond to problems.
In groups, we followed the same framework as the school's Safety Action Planning (SAP) documents, looking at:
- Risks / things that could go wrong
- Causes of those risks and how to minimise them
- What our response should be if/when things go wrong
We will take student ideas from this discussion and compare it to the current draft of our SAP, and bring our findings to the group the next time we meet.
Quiz Night and Silent Auction - Wednesday March 15
Approximate timing: 7-9pm
Cost: $10pp
Teams of 4-6 people
Planning is advancing rapidly for this evening - should be a fun night out!
The Quiz will be designed for many ages and abilities, so all are welcome.
Students have been issued with five tickets each to sell. Money is to be returned to the Humanities Office please.
Silent Auction items are now rolling in. Thank you for your generosity. Please, keep them coming!
Team Hoodies
The suggestion was raised that we should investigate getting some monogrammed t-shirts or hoodies for the Tour. This has worked quite well in the past. Charli Francis and Jess Mills have volunteered to investigate this. Here's a shot of most of 2015's group in their hoodies.
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